Famous Last Words
by OrderChaos
Summary: You either live life to the fullest or you die broken and alone. When the end of the world itself comes to Earth the Avengers will need more than friendship to survive, they'll need family, and they might just find it in the strangest of places. Loki/OC and Clint/OC.
1. Callie

**A Note from Order: Writing a story with an OC, when done correctly of course, is difficult. The OC has to fit in the story and be a part of the world. They need to seem like they were always part of the story before you saw them. The OC has to be what the story called for, the missing puzzle piece. An author cannot simply shove any OC into the story or it will be like sticking a jigsaw puzzle piece in the wrong place. Doing such a thing is tacky, childish, and extremely poor writing. I take the challenge of writing an OC with the responsibility in mind. My OC is not here to tell her story, although pieces of her history may come up as necessary, she is here to tell the story of the Avengers as she saw it. She is simply here to tell the story we otherwise wouldn't have gotten to see. No more, no less. That being said, enjoy!**

**Another Note from Order: This story is co-written by myself, Order, and by a fellow author, Chaos. We each have an OC that we have placed into the story. This chapter was written by myself, Chapter 2 will be written by Chaos, but unless something comes up all the chapters after that will be half and half. The first two chapters are mainly to introduce you to the OCs and get an idea of who they are. Do not be discouraged by any lack of Avenger appearance.**

**Disclaimer: Neither I nor Chaos have any claim to the Avengers despite our desperate pleas.**

* * *

A few observations and much reasoning lead to error; many observations and a little reasoning lead to truth. –Alexis Carrel

* * *

Callie bowed to the sound of clapping and then gracefully took her leave of the stage. Out of sight of the audience, she pulled her hair out of the complex up-do she wore for shows and let the loose strands fall around her face. She pushed a few wild strands of her strawberry blonde hair out of her face and then ran a hand through it to make it fall straight again.

"Good show," Callie jumped at the voice. As observant as she was Callie hadn't noticed the man in the wings of the stage; he looked quite average and he wore a suit with a black tie.

Callie gave him one of her audience-winning stage smiles and replied. "Thank you. It's always nice to hear from a fan."

"My name's Phil," he said. They shook hands and Callie could feel a callus on his hand that she often found on gun enthusiasts.

She asked, "Do you use a gun often, Phil?"

He showed no signs of surprise but simply returned her smile with one of his own. "I do indeed."

They released hands and he crossed his arms over his chest. The movement pulled his suit jacket up slightly, just enough for her to spy the bump where his gun was only one type of person allowed backstage with a weapon. "Law enforcement?"

"Yes, ma'am," Phil replied.

Callie gave a soft chuckle. "I think I'm a little young to be called ma'am."

"Eighteen," Phil said with a serious nod. "As of yesterday if I'm not mistaken."

"Why, yes," she said taking a slight step backwards. "Have we met?"

"Ms. Greene, you have a photographic memory. Don't you think you would have remembered if we'd met?" Phil asked. Callie had to agree but her birthday was not something she broadcasted and certainly not to strangers.

Without turning her back to him she walked backwards towards the panic button. In recent years the buttons had become customary in the backstage area of every theater. Some people just didn't know when enough was enough. "Sir, actually, I can't really stay and talk very long. Conversing with the world beyond is very exhausting. If you don't mind-"

"I'd like to offer you a job, Ms. Greene," Phil said.

Callie hesitated. "Excuse me?"

"No excuses necessary," Phil replied. "I know all about your gifts. The real ones, not your fake psychic abilities. I'm talking about your observation skills and that photographic memory of yours. Those are abilities that I don't stumble on every day."

Callie had grown accustomed to people assuming her observations were messages from the great beyond. Hearing someone blurt out the truth was a little disorienting. "Sir, I'm not sure what you think you know but-"

"I work for SHIELD," Phil said. "It's a government agency and we'd like to offer you a job as an agent."

"Me?" Callie asked.

Phil gave her another smile. "Stranger things have happened."

* * *

The gravestone read simply, Phil Coulson. Born April 2, 1972 – Died June 13, and Died a Hero. It was simple, like the man Phil had always been. Callie laid a single white rose on his grave just in front of the gravestone. "Sorry I couldn't be there for you."

Callie straightened and wiped the tears off her cheeks. Phil would have mocked her for wallowing in a fellow agent's death. Like he'd told her during training, "We all know what we signed up for."

She pulled her hair up into a regulation ponytail in place of the typical sloppy ponytail she usually wore that let strands of strawberry blonde hair bounce around her face. It was not, however, a hair-do appropriate to being an agent of SHIELD. She straightened her suit jacket and then got in her car to drive to work.

Ten minutes later and she was sitting down at her desk. Paperwork from her last mission, the reason she hadn't been in New York for the big battle, was piled on her desk up to her eyeballs. It had been neglected in favor of the agents' funerals and clean-up from the destruction of the battle. She didn't regret putting those things first but looking at this paperwork, it was hard to think about exactly how long it was going to take to finish it. Callie sighed and dropped her head, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration and maybe to push away the coming migraine.

"Coulson used to do that when he was stressed," Callie looked up at, of all people, Director Fury standing before her desk.

Callie nearly jumped out of her seat. "Director Fury."

Director Fury crossed his arms over his chest. "My office, now."

And despite having done nothing to earn the wrath of SHIELD's Director's wrath Callie felt guilty. The Director was good at that. Callie adjusted her suit jacket and after a moment's hesitation followed the Director who was yards ahead of her and had yet to look back. She hurried after him with surprising grace for someone in four inch heels down the hallway and into the elevator. The doors closed in front of them. Director Fury kept his eyes on the doors and didn't speak. Finally, curious as to what she may have done to earn Director Fury's attention, she asked, "Is everything alright, Director?"

"This conversation is best done in my office," he replied.

"Well, sir, I was just curious if I've done-" Callie started.

The Director interrupted. "This conversation is best done in my office," he repeated.

"Right," Callie replied.

A personal visit from the Director was unusual and despite Callie being a good agent – she was not so modest she would deny that fact – her reputation as being such did not earn her a visit from Fury. She examined his face, searching for a clue but found nothing. This was not unusual. The Director was a hard man to read even for her and he seemed particularly good at keeping his thoughts to himself today. He was just too good at being a mystery and Callie didn't spend enough time with the man to know every little twinge of his face and their symbolism.

The elevator doors opened and the Director stepped out and headed to his office. Once again he did not bother to look back apparently assuming Callie would be trailing behind him. It was a fair assumption as one did not tell Fury no and live to tell the tale. He held the door open for her and she took a seat in the plush chair across from his desk. He, in turn, took a seat behind his desk, clasped his hands together on top, and looked her in the face. "Agent Greene."

"Yes, sir?" she asked.

"In setting up the Avengers Initiative we had to place them under a department heading, the Avengers Department to be precise. Typical bureaucracy bullshit and such but we needed a place for them on the paperwork. Apparently, necessary team of superheroes is not a box we can check." Director Fury said.

Callie gave a slight chuckle at something she thought was a joke. The Director didn't laugh. She cleared her throat and replied, "Continue."

"Departments require multiple personnel besides the Avengers. One such position was Department Head and because of Agent Coulson's prior involvement with the Avengers we placed him in the position," he said. "Unfortunately, due to Agent Coulson's recent passing the Avengers Department requires a Department Head. We'd like you to take the position."

"Me?" Callie asked. "I'm honored but I'm hardly the most qualified for the position."

"Do you think I would promote someone to a position I didn't think they deserved, Agent Greene?" the Director asked.

Callie immediately backtracked. Here she was being promoted and instead of being grateful she'd insulted her boss. "No, sir, I just don't quite understand."

"You trained under Agent Coulson," he replied.

"Agent Coulson recruited and trained a lot of people," she said.

The Director leaned back in his chair and nodded. "That he did. He was perfect for the job because Agent Coulson knew the Avengers better than anyone. He recruited and trained Agent Barton; he was there to help with Agent Romanoff. He made friends with Stark and Ms. Potts, studied Captain Rogers, and met with Dr. Banner on numerous occasions. He was an obvious choice."

Fury continued. "Lacking someone with that kind of experience we need someone in the position who can analyze the situation and react and we need someone who can do that quickly. Your problem-solving, memory, and observation scores were off the charts. Baring Agent Coulson himself coming back, you are the best person for the job."

Callie was silent. The decision to make Phil the Department Head for the Avengers was indeed an obvious choice. The decision to make her the Department Head for the Avengers, well… "What exactly would the job entail?"

"Agent Coulson often located the Avengers to bring them together. He was in charge of briefing and he acted as a liaison for the Avengers and SHIELD," Director Fury explained. "Of course, now that they are officially a team there will be events to plan, rules to be made, and plans to create. You need to make decisions on training, diet, and housing."

"Sir, do the Avengers have the guidelines SHIELD agents do?" she asked. It was true that SHIELD agents had to maintain a training regimen and keep a healthy diet supplied by the housing community SHIELD assigned them to but agents were one thing and superheroes were another.

Fury shrugged. "Two of the Avengers are SHIELD agents themselves but I believe they should be held to a standard. We do trust these people to protect us from the things we can't protect ourselves from. If they want SHIELD backing they have to follow rules."

Callie chewed on her lip. It was a poor habit she'd picked up and one she hated to see on other people. "I'm sorry, Director, but controlling the Avengers was never high on my list of career plans."

The Director just looked at her. His eye focused on her face. The Director sighed and then said, "I was afraid you'd say that. Unfortunately, you see, I'm currently in a position where I need someone at the head of this department and people who aren't willing to take one for the team, well, I don't want people like that in my agency."

Callie wasn't stupid, in fact she was quite intelligent, but it wouldn't take a monkey to see where the Director was going. No Department Head equals no job at SHIELD. Callie sighed. "I'd like to see their files if I could."

He grabbed a stack of manila folders and handed them to her. "Got them right here for you."

"Gee, thanks," Callie replied. She grabbed the folders and stood up. "I'll look them over."

"Have them returned when you're done," he replied, and just like that he was through with her.

The mess hall was on the first floor and Callie took a seat at a corner table where there weren't too many people around. She opened the Avengers Initiative file and did a quick scan. It was mostly paperwork to start the department and a quick summary of each of the members. Each summary ended with a file number. Conveniently, those numbers matched with those of the other files she had. "Fury sure thought of everything didn't he?"

Callie flipped through these files as well. On top of most of them being civilians they weren't the soundest bunch of people. Narcissism, depression, anti-social personality disorder, the list of possible mental disorders in these people was longer than her arm. Callie shut the last file after having spent - she checked her watch - four hours in the cafeteria. It was only four in the afternoon. A thirty minute drive and she could still meet five of the six Avengers. According to his file, Thor was currently still on Asgard. Callie pulled her keys out of her purse and set out for the parking lot.

* * *

"Agent Greene," Callie said as she flashed her badge at the receptionist. Her nametag read Susan. "I need to see the Avengers."

Susan frowned. "Why did you come here?"

"I was told they were currently in Stark Tower," Callie said.

"Avengers Tower," Susan corrected.

Callie frowned. "Excuse me?"

Susan took a moment to look up at Callie to explain. "Now that the Avengers team has all moved in Mr. Stark has converted the Stark Tower to an Avengers headquarters. It has therefore been re-named Avengers Tower. It was all in the memo."

"The memo," Callie repeated. "I need to talk to the Avengers."

"I apologize, Agent…" Susan trailed off, having already forgotten Callie's name.

Callie replied, "Greene. Agent Greene."

"Right, well, Mr. Stark has forbidden government personnel from visiting Avengers Tower," Susan replied. Her fingers were tapping along the desk, typical sign of nervousness.

Callie took the nervousness as an opening and, for lack of a better term, stretched the truth. "I have the full force of the government behind me and every right to speak to them."

The blonde squirmed uncomfortably in her seat. "I'm sorry ma'am. I could lose my job."

Callie sighed. She looked down the hallway past the receptionist's desk to where the elevators sat just out of reach. Callie glanced in the mirror behind the receptionist. In the reflection of the lobby Callie could make out a fire alarm. She nodded to the receptionist, "I apologize. I'll contact Mr. Stark some other way."

With those words of parting she turned around, tripped over her own two feet, and while reaching out to catch herself just managed to snag the fire alarm. Instantly, the sirens blared and the lights flashed. A mechanical voice leapt from the speakers. "Ground floor, please evacuate. A fire alarm has been pulled. Ground floor, please evacuate."

Callie gave a horrified look to the receptionist. "I'm so sorry. I'm not usually this clumsy."

The receptionist frowned at her but waved it off. "The security people are just down the hall. I'll tell them it was a mistake."

The receptionist got up from the desk and walked into the hall on the other side of the mirror. As soon as Susan was out of sight Callie booked it down the hall to the elevators. For a few worrying moments she thought the woman might come back out before the elevators even got to her but she was in and moving upward by the time Susan left the security office. Callie keyed in the nine digit security code Phil had made note of in Stark's file to be allowed access to Stark's floor. She tugged on her skirt while waiting for the right floor, adjusting it once again. The doors opened and she stepped out as Tony Stark, the man himself, yelled to no one in particular. "I define modern technology, have designed weapons terrorists kidnapped m for, created the Iron Man, joined a league of superheroes, defeated space aliens, and yet I can't design a security system that denies access to SHIELD's goons? Is that what you're telling me, JARVIS?"

JARVIS, as Callie now realized Stark was talking to, replied from seemingly everywhere, "I'll begin working on the problem."

Callie gave a smile to Stark that she hoped portrayed the frustration she felt. "You should begin by making it clear to your receptionists that a fire alarm is not a good excuse to leave their post. That should do it."

"You started a fire?" This came from Captain Rogers who came in from the living room wearing jeans and a blue tee.

"No, I just pulled the fire alarm," Callie replied. "No need to actually start a fire."

"That's…actually a fairly daring move. I approve," Stark replied. "Now, what are you doing in my humble abode?"

"I came to introduce myself," Callie supplied as she looked around a room that was anything but humble.

It was that moment that Agent Barton strolled in followed closely by Agent Romanoff. Agent Barton had his hands at his sides but she could make out the gun in a hip holster. Agent Romanoff had two hip holsters. They, like the Captain, were dressed casually in jeans. Agent Barton had on a sweatshirt from Michigan State University. She recognized the Spartans' logo. "Introduce yourself? This isn't a repeat of that blonde agent is it? What was her name?"

"Agent Permar," Agent Romanoff supplied.

Agent Barton snapped his fingers. "Right, Permar. You aren't another one of those are you?"

"I don't understand," Callie said, confused by a conversation she was obviously out of the loop on.

Captain Rogers crossed his arms over his chest. "Last week one of SHIELD's agents snuck their way up here to introduce herself. She claimed to be a fan."

Callie immediately felt embarrassed. "No, I'm not here to play fan girl for you."

Stark sighed, "Too bad."

"What _are_ you here for?" Agent Romanoff asked.

"One moment," Stark said. "JARVIS, alert Bruce that he is currently missing out on all the fun. Use those words."

"Don't bother," Dr. Banner said walking in. "I heard all the talking."

"I'm here to introduce myself," Callie repeated, now with everyone in the room. "Director Fury has assigned me to be your new Avengers Initiative handler."

"We're getting a handler?" Agent Barton asked.

"New handler," Callie corrected. "I'm taking Agent Coulson's job."

Stark's brows furrowed as he adopted a look of confusion. "You're going to show up every month or so and ask us to join SHIELD?"

"Tony," Steve warned.

Stark shrugged. "What? I was honestly under the impression that was his job."

Steve shook his head but did not reply. Clearly, these kinds of conversations were regular in Avengers Tower. Instead, Dr. Banner spoke up. "Not to agree with Tony but what exactly is your job?"

"I'm the connection between the Avengers and SHIELD," Callie said. "If you have a problem, you go to me, I take it to SHIELD, and the problem gets fixed."

Stark adopted a sly grin. "Well, Agent Greene, if you'd like a list of problems I have with SHIELD-"

"Tony," Steve warned again. The genius rolled his eyes but didn't continue. Instead Steve asked, "So what's your background? Where did SHIELD recruit you from? Army? Special Forces? C.I.A.?"

"Vegas," Callie answered truthfully. If the rumors she'd heard about Stark's abilities with computers were true it wouldn't do her any good to lie. "I had a show on the Vegas strip."

"Doing what?" Stark asked, clearly surprised.

"I had a psychic show," Callie elaborated.

"So you're psychic?" Stark asked.

"Hardly," Callie replied. "I'm just very observant."

"Great," Agent Barton said with a roll of his eyes. "The Avengers get a handler and she worked in Sin City."

Callie had grown up in Vegas and didn't appreciate the dig. "And you worked in a circus before SHIELD. If you don't judge I'll try to keep my opinions to myself as well."

Agent Barton opened his mouth and then snapped it shut. Agent Romanoff put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Stark grinned at the archer. "Look, Katniss, I think it likes you."

Callie sighed. "Look, I came here to introduce myself. Clearly, I've done that for too long. I think I'll be leaving now. I will be back, however."

"Wait!" Captain Rogers exclaimed. She turned and he continued. "I'd like to have a moment to speak to you if you don't mind."

Callie nodded. The remaining Avengers slowly drifted off to their own things, all of them except Stark. "Is he supposed to stay?"

Captain Rogers frowned at him. "No. Tony, get out."

Stark saluted him sarcastically and replied, "Aye, aye, Captain."

Once the two of them were alone Captain Rogers held out his hand for her to shake. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Callie shook his hand. She could see why woman swooned for him. Past the looks and the uniform there was a type of man that had been lost somehow over the past sixty years. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well."

"They're an interesting group for sure," he said. He stole a glance over his shoulder where they had all stood moments ago. "But they're good people."

"I have no doubt of that," Callie replied. Phil had trusted them and although it may take her awhile to trust them herself, for now Phil's trust was enough.

He sighed. "I guess I wanted to tell you that it won't be easy working with people who come from so many different places. I'm a great example of that."

"I enjoy a challenge, Captain," Callie replied.

"Hey Spangles! Are you done talking to the rookie?" Stark's voice floated from her left. When she looked she could barely make out the faint glow of the arc reactor in his chest. Someone less observant might not have seen it at all.

She looked directly at him in the shadows. "I've been an agent for three years now."

Stark stepped out of the shadows, his eyebrows up. "Hey Katniss! She's a freak like you!"

Callie caught the Captain's eye roll. She held up a hand. "You can save your pep talk. I won't be leaving anytime soon. Director Fury made it very clear that it was this assignment or no assignment at all."

"You turned it down?" Captain Rogers asked. Maybe it wasn't a question.

Callie nodded. "Fury claims I'm the only person for the job but to be honest? I'm out of my league here."

"Only if you let yourself be," he replied.

"I'll be seeing you Captain," Callie replied.

"Call me Steve," he said. At Callie's look of disapproval he added, "Or Rogers, if that's more comfortable."

"Rogers it is," Callie said.

* * *

If Callie had decided to go to the SHIELD base at that moment on time instead of skipping out on some paperwork and going home, she would have pulled into the base parking lot thirty minutes later. She would have exited her car, walked into the building, flashed her credentials at the guard, gone through four metal detectors, and finally made it to the hallway where Director Fury's office was located. She also would have passed his office just as he was wrapping up the conversation with someone on the phone.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're telling me it's happened again, four times? And that each of these times has been more severe?"

Whomever he was talking to on the other line had a voice that gave him a headache. After a moment he responded, "Of course I'm going to fix it. I just have to find someone who has experience with that. I'll be in touch."

He set down the phone and then pushed a button on his desk connecting him to Maria Hill. Her voice came through the speaker. "Yes sir?"

"Get ahold of Dr. Strange." Fury said. "And find me an aspirin."

Of course, instead, Callie chose to go home and the conversation remained private between Fury and the voice on the other end.

* * *

**AN: And that's all for now. Await Chaos' chapter next. She's a great writer with a fantastic OC. Chapter 3 will be half hers and half mine as will the chapters after it. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!**


	2. Elizabeth

**A note from Chaos, the more awesome of the two: Since you all are reading this chapter, I'm assuming you read the first one (duh) meaning you were all introduced to Order's fabulous OC Callie! I like to think of these first two chapters as almost like a prologue in a sense because it focuses primarily on the two OCs and how they both wind up with SHIELD (though each for different reasons). In this chapter, you meet my OC Liz. As Order so wonderfully stated in the author's note at the beginning of the last chapter: our OCs aren't telling "their" story. You are simply seeing how they see the events that unfold as well as the way it affects not only themselves, but each and every member of SHIELD as well as the Avengers. **

**Another note from Chaos: Okay, enough with the seriousness since Order is the serious one and I'm the...well..."insane" one in her words. I hope you all enjoy this story! We have so many ideas for not only this, but also for a potential sequal (which obviously won't come around for a long time xD) so we appreciate all reviews that we recieve!**

**Disclaimer: I would LOVE to say that Order and I are the owners of the Avengers and Marvel but...well...Order tells me not to lie so I can't :/ We don't own either meaning... *insert tears* I don't own Loki either! Such a cruel cruel world *pouts in corner***

* * *

Where one person shapes their life by precept and example, there are a thousand who have shaped it by impulse and circumstances. -James Russell Lowell

* * *

"Concentrate!"

"I am!" The brunette woman growled from in between gritted teeth, holding back a groan as she further agitated her throbbing shoulder by hitting her mentor's sword away from her before attempting to side step around him in order to put some distance between herself and his sword. However, as she did so, her foot got caught in a small gopher hole that she had managed to step into and, as a result of the momentum she had created, she fell onto her back—narrowly missing slamming her head into the bark of a tree.

"Damn it." She mumbled, the fall having knocked some of the air out of her.

Her mentor and cousin, a tall lean man with neat black hair that held white streaks despite the fact that he was only in his early thirties, arched an eyebrow as he looked down at the woman who had yet to get back up onto her feet. "Are you planning on laying there all day?" He inquired amused, a slight smirk curving his mouth upwards.

The brunette shrugged, a similar smirk curving her own lips upward as well. "I don't see why not. It's not like there's anything better to do."

"Of course there isn't." Stephen rolled his eyes at the twenty one year old, though his amusement was clear upon his face. "It's not as if you still have some training to do or anything, _Elizabeth_."

Elizabeth Carter, or Liz as she preferred, scoffed at his remark despite the fact that she knew he was indeed right, like always. Her fighting skills and techniques left much to be desired, at least when it came to close range combat. Give her a handful of throwing daggers though and the fight would be over in a matter of seconds.

"You know I can't stand being called that." She muttered, reluctantly forcing herself to get to her feet. The moment she had fallen she knew the sword she had been using had disappeared—just like it always did whenever she lost focus—so she didn't bother to look for it.

Stephen shook his head as he retook an offensive stance with his sword, his brown eyes specked with flecks of gold met her midnight blue ones as he spoke, "And you know that I can't stand it when you lose concentration so easily amidst a duel." His tone wasn't harsh or cruel in the slightest, but it _was_ deadly serious. "If this had been a real fight…" He sighed, his eyes never leaving hers as he gazed at her over his sword. He didn't even have to finish the sentence to convey what he was saying. It was quite simple: lose your focus, lose your life.

Liz's dark blue eyes sparked with annoyance as she held out her hand and a quarterstaff materialized, retorting with clear irritation, "How was I supposed to know some animal dug a hole here of all places?"

"That is why you must be aware of your surroundings, of the very ground right beneath your feet." He didn't make a single move, watching his cousin with an expectant eyebrow raised, waiting for Liz to make the first move. "Remember: focus."

The brunette closed her eyes and took a slow, deep breath as she emptied her head of all unimportant things that clouded it until all that was left was instinct and her inherent strategic knowledge. Focus, she ordered herself. Breathe. Set yourself a goal. Something realistic.

Her dark sapphire eyes popped open and she stared at the patiently waiting man with a smirk adorning her face. Her eyes briefly landed on the watch on his wrist, her eyes glittering mischievously. She couldn't beat him, she knew that…

But that didn't mean she didn't know a thing or two.

Stephen's eyes narrowed as his cousin completely disappeared from sight, his eyes flickering around the mountainous area they were fighting in for any sign of her. He let out an annoyed sigh. She never listened, did she? This was supposed to be a magic-less fight, with the exception of calling forth close combat weapons.

There had been a reason magic had been outlawed for the duel…

The doctor's eyes flickered to the side and after standing perfectly and completely still for a moment, took a small step to the side—causing Liz to barrel past him, nearly falling once again.

...because, while Liz's grasp of sorcery was well advanced compared to the other initiates and even some of the full members, her ability to focus her full potential was nearly nonexistent as well as her combat skills outside of magic. She blamed her combat skills on her inherent clumsiness that never seemed to go away according to her, but the doctor knew the truth.

Liz caught herself barely by passing all of her weight onto her right leg, causing her to spin around towards where Stephen stood not even three feet away. Just as she spun to face him, she brought the staff up in a diagonal motion from her legs up to her cousin's side, her supposed intent being to slam it into his hip area.

As expected, he brought up his sword at the very last instant and parried the quarterstaff, slight confusion in his eyes as he saw the mischief on his apprentice's face. He knew that look. He had seen it numerous times when the three of them—Liz, April, and himself—were younger.

It spoke only trouble.

He narrowly managed to avoid the unexpected leg that shot up towards his head. His right hand shot out and caught it by the ankle, an eyebrow raised at the shock that was evident on Liz's face. He let go a second later.

"You can do better, Liz." Stephen stated seriously, a small frown on his face. "Though that last kick _was_ quite unexpected," he grudgingly added.

The dark haired female smirked as she flipped back onto her feet. "Haven't you noticed you're missing something, _dear cousin_?"

Stephen's eyes narrowed slightly at her words, wondering what she could possibly have done now.

Liz held up an antique golden watch between two fingers, a cheeky grin on her face at his reaction. "What happened to _'always being aware of your surroundings'_," she mocked lightly as she threw the watch back at him, which he easily caught.

Stephen Strange shook his head good naturedly at the brunette while he slipped the watch back on. "When you rushed at me from the side," He stated, understanding in his eyes.

She nodded and stretched lightly, cracking her neck as she did so.

Before Stephen could reply, Cairo—one of the older initiates—came running towards them. Stephen raised an eyebrow at the dark skinned Egyptian male. "What is it?"

Liz ignored the look Cairo sent her way. The man hated her with a passion, believing that it was him who should have been the Sorcerer Supreme's personal apprentice and not her.

"Director Fury of SHIELD wants you to call him right away." Cairo stated stiffly, huffing slightly from running all the way from the other side of the small mountainous area to the training grounds.

"Director Fury?" The doctor frowned lightly, wondering what the man could possibly want. He had already denied the other's invitation to join the Avengers, claiming there was no way he possibly could while maintaining the position of the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth—a position that required absolute neutrality.

Cairo nodded, his stance portraying his unease. He didn't like the fact that Fury kept trying to get his master to leave.

Liz arched an eyebrow, looking mildly confused. "The Avengers guy? What does old director One-Eye want now?"

Cairo sent a harsh look her way. "I don't see how that is anyone's business but the master's." He spat coldly at the brunette, who remained unaffected by the Egyptian's tone.

Stephen gave the man a sharp warning look that lasted only for a second before looking at his cousin calmly. "We'll continue our sparring match at sunset." That would give the brunette a few hours to work on magic sustainability.

A small smirk curved her lips upward. "Aye aye, sir." It also gave her ample time to tease the Egyptian male, an act that gave her an overwhelming joy. She loved payback.

Stephen saw the mischievous glint in the female's dark blue eyes, arching an eyebrow ever so slightly as he let out a small sigh. "Behave." He ordered her. She simply gave him a wide eyed innocent smile. Holding back a groan, he disappeared, having teleported back to his quarters.

Once the doctor was gone, Liz turned her eyes onto the ill tempered Egyptian, mouthing one word: Payback.

* * *

"I've told you before, Fury." The sorcerer remarked as he looked at the figure on the screen with his arms crossed in front of him. "I'm not interested in joining your little group."

Nick Fury looked at the man, annoyance clear in his visible eye. "Let me talk first instead of just assuming I'm asking you to join the Avengers."

Stephen raised an eyebrow lightly, obviously not believing that hadn't been a request the Director was going to ask far. "Oh, so this has _nothing_ to do with me joining them?" He inquired, disbelief obvious.

Fury glared at him before letting out an angry sigh. "Not exactly. Let me explain before you start interrupting me," He said the last part sharply when the other opened his mouth to reply.

Stephen looked slightly amused, spreading his arms out as he said, "Proceed."

"I'm so _glad_ I have your permission, doctor." He growled sarcastically before regaining control over himself and saying stiffly, "Nineteen hours ago, SHIELD satellites picked up an inter-dimensional rift over the Amazon. Since then, we have at least four other confirmed reports of similar incidents." The man's face was deadly serious as he spoke. "Beijing, Istanbul, New Delhi, and most recently Los Angeles."

The amusement on Stephen's face had died away and he was now listening with rapt attention, his arms crossed once again with a serious expression on his face. "All highly populated area," he said slowly, a small frown on his lips. "All except the Amazon…"

"Exactly. Radars picked up faint deposits of magic residue at each of the sites, which is why SHIELD is asking for your assistance with this matter. After all, who better to turn to for incidents involving magic than the Sorcerer Supreme himself." The man's tone was slightly mocking at the end of it, though he didn't mean it disrespectfully.

Stephen sighed as he stood up straight, uncrossing his arms as he looked the man straight in the eye. "I'll see what I can do. However, my options are limited if the cause is not of Earth. Unfortunately, my own neutrality cannot be jeopardized."

Fury scowled at him. "Who cares about remaining neutral if millions of lives are in danger?"

His face hardened as he replied, "Someone who has to stay in control otherwise _billions_ of lives will be endangered. I am currently the only sorcerer on Earth capable of being the Sorcerer Supreme, and I'm not saying that arrogantly. I might not be the most powerful out of them all, but I am the only one who understands the need of remaining neutral. A balance must be maintained in order for life on Earth to thrive. I can only intervene as a last resort, if the actual existence of this world is threatened, _which_," He added sharply before the other could argue, "has yet to be proven."

It was obvious by now that Fury was angry. It was almost as if his anger was tangible. "According to our database, a relative of yours by the name of Elizabeth Carter has accrued quite a criminal record for someone only at the age of twenty one…"

The doctor visibly stiffened at the thinly veiled threat, his eyes narrowing as he clenched the edge of his desk tightly to maintain his control. The only time he ever came close to losing his calm and control was when someone close to him was endangered. "Are you seriously threatening _me_, Director Fury?" His tone was low, a sure sign of his anger that was brimming just below. His eyes were hard and held no traces of their former warmth as he looked at the man.

Nick Fury wasn't an idiot. There was no way someone could be in such a high position as his without possessing at least a modicum of intelligence. He only used threats as a last resort. However, the man could instantly tell that, in Doctor Strange's mind, he had crossed the line by far. He knew that he would have to backtrack quickly if he didn't wish to gain the doctor as an enemy, something that SHIELD definitely could not afford to happen. Especially considering the man made numerous monetary donations toward the financing of SHIELD every so often. They couldn't afford to lose any financial backing.

"No, I'm not, Doctor Strange." He told the man after taking a deep breath, choosing his words carefully. "However, SHIELD is desperate. We cannot let another incident like the one that occurred in New York happen again…you are our only hope."

Stephen took a deep breath as well as he calmed himself. It was never smart to speak when not in control of yourself. "As I told you before, I will see what I can do. I will call you back in a few hours with my decision." He ended the transmission before the other could reply. He sat down in his chair behind his desk and laid his head in his hands on the desk, his eyes closed. He agreed that SHIELD _did_ need someone with experience in sorcery…but as he had previously stated to Fury, that someone could not be him. He would have to pick someone to go in his place.

If he was to go by control and power, then Cairo would be the most likely candidate for the job. However…he wasn't entirely too sure or keen on placing such trust in the Egyptian.

He sighed and raised his head. His eyes stared at the small frame resting on his desk that contained a picture of him, April, and Liz…taken before April's illness had been discovered. With a gentle finger, he lightly caressed the sides of the picture, his brows furrowed in thought.

"What to do…What to do…."

* * *

Liz stared up at the color changing sky from her place laying on her back in the grass while waiting for her cousin to come. He was running late. Unusual for him, but she didn't mind the wait.

Silently, she mused that it had been almost four and a half years since the man had saved her from the hellhole she had been living in. For that alone, her cousin had obtained her undying, never ending loyalty (not that he hadn't already had it, but still).

A cool breeze blew through and she instinctively tightened the initiate robe she was wearing over her usual clothes around herself, a small shiver passing through her as if thoughts of the past had made them come alive once again.

"_Don't worry, Elizabeth. I will never allow them to come near you again." _

Her usually bright midnight blue eyes were darker with undecipherable emotions clouding them as her thoughts swept back to that particular memory, the tiniest hint of a smile crossing her face as she remembered the way she had envisioned her cousin at that prior moment in time: a knight in shining armor, despite the harsh things she had said to him in reply to that. Her eyes softened for a brief moment.

The sounds of footsteps snapped her out of her reverie and she jumped onto her feet as she turned to face the doctor. "Took you long enough, you old geezer." She smirked, her arms crossing in front of herself.

Stephen rolled his eyes at the insult. "I didn't realize being ten years older than you made me an old geezer." He retorted, an amused look on his face.

She shrugged lightly, leaning her summoned sword against her shoulder, the smirk still playing upon her face. "Well it does." She moved her sword so that it was resting in front of her as she took an offensive position, though her actions were light as if she wasn't all that serious about sparring. "You ready to continue our training?" She tilted her head at him, her eyes shining with mischief.

"No."

Liz blinked in surprise, her stance dropping as she stared at him with confusion and disbelief. "No?" Her dark eyes examined the other's face curiously, trying to figure out what was going on. A small frown rested on her face where the smirk had previously been.

Stephen nodded, running his hand through his dark hair with a sigh. "What I mean is, is that our duel is being temporarily postponed."

She scrunched her nose up, something she did whenever she was confused or annoyed. In this case, it was because of both. "Why?" Her thoughts raced quietly for a moment as her eyes stayed on the other, noting the seriousness within her cousin's dark eyes. "Does this have anything to do with whatever old One-Eye wanted?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"In a way…yes." The man looked at the brunette with a small frown as he once again questioned himself on whether this was a good idea or not. Liz was impulsive, stubborn, and often times careless…but then again, behind her impulsivity was a surprising intelligence that few ever saw. She was also someone he trusted fully and completely, despite her questionable choices and decisions.

"Elaborate. Now." Liz ordered, her eyes staring at him with an intense sharpness that further proved that she wasn't as stupid as most believed her to be.

Stephen hesitated for a moment, the frown still on his face. Indecision flickered within his eyes as he regarded his cousin, knowing that she could handle what he was about to ask of her, but his familial ties to her making him not want to put her in potential danger. However, his brain won the argument in the long run. She was a grown woman and therefore he couldn't make decisions for her.

"There have been sites of magical phenomena around the globe…and Fury wishes to have someone on hand who has experience with this sort of thing."

"You can't." Liz told him sharply before he could say anymore, the frown on her face having grown. "You're the Sorcerer Supreme." She knew that her cousin had plenty of duties he had to fulfill on a daily basis in order to keep the balance preserved. He didn't have time for that sort of thing.

"I know I can't…but you can." Stephen told her slowly, his eyes on her face as he watched her reaction.

She blinked, her eyes widening. "Me?" She questioned in disbelief, not sure she had heard right. She would have expected him to pick someone else.

"Yes you." A tiny bit of amusement flashed through his eyes before once again becoming serious. "If you want. This is entirely voluntarily and there's a chance it will be dangerous as well if the source of these phenomena turns out to be hostile. I don't know what all will be entailed within what you will have to do, but…I know you, Liz….and I know you will be able to handle this." His eyes softened a little, though the seriousness within them didn't diminish as he watched her expression carefully. "The choice is entirely yours as I said. I will still train you, except the training will be different than what we've been currently doing due to the distance…Do you want this?"

Most people would seriously contemplate such a decision, weigh the pros against the cons in order to figure out if such a job was worth all of the risks that would surely come about from it. They would know that, despite the doctor's words, the 'chance' of it being dangerous was relatively high. However, Elizabeth Carter wasn't most people. She was the type to jump headlong into something without bothering to waste time thinking over the consequences.

Which is why Stephen was unsurprised with the answer she gave.

"Duh."

* * *

**AN: Thanks for reading ^~^ Hope you all liked it! Reviews would be awesome so, you know, ^^ review if you have time :D Muchas gracias~!  
xoxo Chaos**


	3. Flying

**Chaos' Note: February, the month of love, has come to an end and with it comes a new chapter of Famous Last Words! XD We will try to post a new chapter every week. Keyword: Try. Order and I are so fabulously awesome (Okay, mostly me since Order has yet to even aspire to reach the level of awesome I am currently on) that we are often kept neck deep in piles and piles of work (both figuratively and literally) which is why there will be times when we update later than we plan (*cough* this time *cough*). So please, be patient with us :) – Though patience is a quality neither of us particularly possesses – XD. I'd like to thank everyone that reviewed, favorited, and/or added the story to their alerts! You guys rock and I love you! *platonically of course*  
xoxo – Chaos**

**Order's Note: This chapter is late. I'm quite aware that Chaos and I did not set up a due date but we had discussed it off of Fanfiction and we had both decided on a weekly update. I would simply like to point out that it was entirely Chaos' fault. (Just saying.) Now, we were busy – very very very very very busy – but in my opinion all Chaos' fault. Just so you know. Due to Chaos' inability to finish things on a deadline you may have to be patient with us. A quick thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and/or added the story. You inspire me!**

**Disclaimer…from Order: We respectfully, and reluctantly, acknowledge we have no claim to the Avengers. Callie and Liz, however, are ours.**

* * *

"The knack of flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss," –The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

* * *

"…important. The sooner the cause for these rifts is found, the sooner we can counteract them. The locations of the incidents were…" Fury droned on.

The brunette tuned the man out again as she continued to look around the areas they walked through within the Helicarrier, eyes wide with awe as she eyed all of the high-tech technology. Liz was someone who was easily distracted when bored and Fury's long winded speech was anything but entertaining.

Her eyes continued to roam the room they were currently in that she assumed was the main command center. She looked at all of the shiny gadgets and equipment with a small smirk. She could cause a lot of havoc and chaos if she got a hold of one of the computers.

She was so caught up in planning mischief that she hadn't realized that Fury had stopped talking and was now staring at her, his visible eye narrowed in annoyance. "I would appreciate it, Miss Carter, if you would actually pay attention when I am speaking."

Liz blinked in surprise as she was startled out of her thoughts before flashing the man her signature smirk, "But you're boring."

His eyebrow twitched in anger. "Excuse m-"

"Plus," she interrupted without batting an eye. "My cousin already informed me about all of this. You're just repeating information that I already know."

_Why did I let Strange trick me into using her as his substitute?_ He thought annoyed, his thoughts going back to the conversation in question.

_ONE WEEK BEFORE_

"…_and so," Strange said smugly with his arms crossed in front of him. "You have to admit, Liz would be the perfect substitute."_

_Liz nodded in agreement with her cousin, her arms crossed in front of her like a mirror image of her cousin as she smirked at the screen, looking at Fury._

"_No," The man stated bluntly, his features entirely serious. "We need an expert, _not_ a novice."_

"_Then you're on your own," the sorcerer replied just as bluntly, his smugness evaporating as his dark eyes met the other's in a silent challenge._

"_Damn it, Strange," Fury growled in annoyance. "SHIELD doesn't have time to babysit your juvenile delinquent of a cousin."_

"_Hey! I'm twenty-one," the brunette frowned, not denying the delinquent part._

"_Babysit? Fury, she's my apprentice. She can more than handle this," Strange stated. His eyes were still on the other challengingly. "You either take the compromise or leave it. I honestly don't care. However, it will be entirely your fault and all the blame will be laid at your feet if something were to happen and you refused help."_

_Fury silently gritted his teeth at the other's words while weighing the pros and cons of agreeing to having Liz's assistance. At last, he sighed, knowing that he really could not refuse it when the help was needed so seriously._

_Plus, he thought dryly, she can't be any worse than Stark._

* * *

"So if you wouldn't mind skipping to information I don't know yet, that would be great," Liz smiled an innocent angelic smile up at her temporary boss.

Correction: She was just as bad as the billionaire playboy.

Fury silently noted that a pair of horns would better suit the brunette than the deceptive smile she was currently wearing. "You will have to wait until the others arrive for the briefing."

Her ears perked up and her dark azure eyes held more than a hint of curiosity as she inquired, "Others?"

He fought the urge to groan, "Oh, so now I have your attention."

"Well, yeah," Liz's eyes were now looking at him with an intent seriousness he had thought her incapable of. She hadn't known that she would be working with others. "I was under the impression I would be working alone on this."

"Well you're impression was wrong," he retorted, feeling oddly smug at the other's surprise. "It looks like you don't know everything after all."

Her eyes narrowed slightly, but she kept a grip on her temper despite her dislike for the condescending tone he used. Realization danced across her eyes as a suspicion dawned upon her, her eyes widening a bit, "Another incident occurred, hasn't it?"

Fury arched an eyebrow, mildly impressed that she had figured it out so quickly but then again, he wasn't all that surprised given what her file had listed about her intellect. He replied solemnly, "One unlike the ones before."

* * *

"They could have just called. They hardly needed to send you up here to 'collect' us," Stark said. He was leaning against the bar counter watching as the rest of his team one by one gathered in his living room.

That had been Callie's view too but Fury had felt slightly differently. "Fury said you probably wouldn't come if he just gave you a call. I think his exact words were, 'Stark won't even bother to answer his phone'."

Stark grinned. "He's probably right."

"Yeah, well, it's not your gas wasted every time I have to make the trip up here," Callie snapped. She wasn't really upset about the gas – although the price had gone up again – but she was in fact feeling like a babysitter.

"Money problems? I've never had that problem myself but no big deal. I can fix that," Stark replied. "Jarvis, figure out the cost to drive from SHIELD headquarters to Avengers Tower and then the return trip and deposit it into Agent Greene's account."

"Thank you but that's highly unnecessary," Callie said quickly.

"Transfer complete, sir," Jarvis replied.

Callie didn't particularly want to know how Jarvis had transferred the money without Callie sharing her account information. Tony gave her another grin. "Now, stop complaining. Take a seat on the couch while you wait, okay?"

Callie took a seat on the couch after counting to ten and flipped on the T.V. not fully paying attention to what was on. It appeared to be some nuclear meltdown. Her ears picked up the county; Japan. Callie felt bad but not before she let a selfish thought pop into her head. With her luck, she thought, Fury would tell her that the nuclear meltdown was her problem too.

After a few more moments and the Avengers were gathered together. Time to leave.

* * *

Callie hated being left in the dark and being briefed with the Avengers team made her feel like Fury didn't trust her. Callie trailed behind the team but was stopped by Cassandra. Cassie and I had been together for the first part of field agent training before Cassie realized her real calling was computers. Now she worked for SHIELD as a techie, one of the best too. She asked, "What are you doing following around the Avengers?"

"Director Fury gave me Phil's job," Callie replied.

Cassie's eyebrows rose. "Bet your check will look fantastic next week."

"I don't care about the pay," Callie denied. At Cassie's questioning glance Callie amended, "Alright, the raise is nice but this job sucks."

Cassie winced sympathetically. "I've heard stories about Stark. What did he do to you?"

"Well, nothing yet," Callie replied lamely.

"Then what's the problem? Great pay, great job title, and I hear Captain America is even better looking up close than he was on T.V.," Cassie said.

"It's a lot of responsibility," Callie said.

Cassie frowned. "Is your totally unnecessary depression because it was Phil's job?"

"What? No," Callie said.

"Because you can't be guilty for staying loyal to SHIELD," Cassie replied.

Director Fury's voice bellowed from the briefing room. "Agent Greene! Are you planning on joining us sometime today?"

Callie sighed. "Duty calls."

"Catch you later," Cassie replied as she walked away. "Learn to enjoy yourself."

The briefing room had one single long table that took up most of the room. Chairs took up the remaining space except for a little space at the front where someone could stand to present. On that wall was a large flat screen T.V. and below it was a counter. Fury was standing in the open space and a brunette woman Callie had never met before was sitting on the counter just to the left of the T.V. On the left of the table was Agent Barton and Agent Romanoff. On the right of the table was Captain Rogers, Stark, and Dr. Banner. Callie took a seat on the side with her fellow agents next to Agent Barton.

"I'd like to keep things moving quickly so we'll make introductions quick. This woman is Elizabeth Carter. She's going to consult. Miss Carter, this is Agent Barton, Agent Romanoff, Captain Rogers, Mr. Stark, Dr. Banner, and their new handler Agent Greene," Fury rattled off the names quickly and each person nodded or waved in acknowledgement.

"Pleasure," Elizabeth said. Callie detected a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

Fury hit the remote and the T.V. turned on to a picture of, if Callie had to guess, the Amazon rainforest. Fury looked at Dr. Banner. "I believe you recognize this."

Dr. Banner nodded. "The Amazon rainforest, the Venezuelan section if I'm not mistaken."

"You're correct," Fury said. "Not long ago our scientists detected a magical anomaly. Upon further inspection we've managed to determine it to be a rift between worlds."

Next to Callie Agent Barton stiffened. Callie asked quietly, "Is everything okay?"

Agent Barton instantly smiled. "Of course."

"Excuse me, Agent Barton, do you have something to share?" Fury asked.

Agent Barton's smile disappeared and he snapped back to attention. "It's just, all this talk of magic – could we be dealing with Loki…again?"

Signs of discomfort were abound. Captain Rogers shifting, Agent Romanoff's avoidance at looking at Agent Barton, and Stark's hardened gaze. Loki; the epitome of uncomfortable conversation.

Fury replied, "All attempts to contact Thor or Asgard have been unsuccessful."

"I don't think it's him," Agent Romanoff said. "Last time it was 'bow and serve' and 'fear my might', Why become sneaky?"

"When at first you don't succeed…" Elizabeth trailed off with a smug smile.

"Try an approach you've never experimented with before against the organization that kicked you off the planet last time?" Callie asked dubiously. "I don't think so. Is this all you've got for information?"

"No. After the Amazon, rifts opened over Los Angeles, Beijing, Istanbul, New Delhi, London, Paris, and most recently Dublin," Fury said.

"That's a lot of populated cities," Banner said.

Captain Rogers frowned. "Obviously you have a problem but I fail to see the Avengers' part in all this. There's nothing for us to fight."

"What a very jock thing for you to say, Spangles," Stark said. "But even from a Brains-Over-Brawn man, he has a point."

"I'm sure you've heard of the recent nuclear meltdown in Japan," Fury said.

"The what?" Agent Barton asked.

"The meltdown," Callie repeated. "It was on the news."

When the Avengers team, and Elizabeth for that matter, just stared at her blankly, Callie sighed. "We've got to keep you connected to the real world."

Fury looked like he was resisting the urge to roll his eye before he continued. Images of the nuclear meltdown she'd see on the news popped onto the screen. "At the exact moment of the meltdown, we detected a major magic spike. The meltdown has already caused hundreds of deaths and officials expect the end total to be over a thousand. It would have been much worse except that SHIELD notified them of the meltdown. We only knew because we were watching for the rifts."

"Obviously this is becoming a very serious and dangerous problem but, like Steve and Tony said, there's not a whole lot the Avengers can do," Dr. Banner said.

"That's why Miss Carter's here to help. She's an _expert_ on magic," Fury said causing Elizabeth to smirk. This time he really did roll his eye. Obviously the Director was not a huge fan of Elizabeth Carter and her magic.

"We understand, Director," Stark spoke like someone talking to a five year old. "We would like to know what we, _the Avengers_, are supposed to do."

"Your jobs," Fury snapped. Stark mumbled something under his breath but it didn't distract Callie from Fury's look in her direction or its obvious message.

Apparently, the nuclear meltdown _was_ going to be her job.

Great.

* * *

Liz flipped through the pages of the magazine she taken from the Helicarrier, her fingers trailing over the glossy surface of the pages lightly, trying to distract herself from the fact that she was currently in one of the military jets that SHIELD owned, on her way to Japan.

She hated flying, a fact that she hid as best as she could. At least on the Helicarrier she could pretend that they weren't thousands of feet up in the air.

"So according to Fury, you're an expert on magic?"

The brunette's azure blue eyes looked up from the article she had been reading on 'Visitors From Other Planets'. She had been in the middle of mentally mocking the author derisively for the idiocy of the person's claims –but hey, what else could you expect from a tabloid?

Liz's eyes looked over at the one who had just spoke, her mind silently supplying her with his name, Captain Rogers.

"An expert? No," she said honestly, not really wanting to lie and then added with a smile, "But I am pretty damn good with it."

Across from her, Captain Rogers gave her a small smile.

"Oh really? Well, in my opinion, magic is all an illusion and fake, so you must be pretty clever to trick Fury into believing you," said Tony from her far left. He wore a cocky smirk as he spoke.

The other Avengers, minus Agent Barton who was currently piloting the jet with the assistance of Agent Greene, looked at the billionaire playboy as if he was insane.

"Then what about Loki?" The redhead, Agent Romanoff, questioned with an eyebrow raised. It was obvious that she thought Stark was an idiot.

Liz's ears perked up with interest, knowing very little about what had happened in New York since she had been in Tibet when everything went down. Hell, she hadn't even heard about the attack until two weeks after it happened.

Stark snorted at that. "Um, I'm convinced that was all a delusion caused by a large amount of hallucinogens that someone must have somehow slipped me."

Liz laughed loud in amusement. She could tell the man was trying to be difficult on purpose. "So somehow thousands of people were slipped these same hallucinogens?"

"Exactly," Stark said with a smirk matching Liz's. "Think about it. The person with the biggest delusion? Clint. Take a look at our motley group and anyone would peg him as the druggie. While the rest of the world was slipped the drug, he sat up and asked for more."

"You are an idiot," Agent Romanoff told the billionaire bluntly.

"If having an IQ of 240 qualifies someone as an idiot, then more than two thirds of the world's population could be classified as brain dead," he responded.

"Having a high IQ doesn't account for being, pardon my language," Rogers said with a particular look at Liz and Romanoff before looking back at Stark and finishing, "a jackass."

Liz snorted at that, a surprised laugh escaping her. She hadn't expected the blonde to say that. Genuine amusement was clear on her face. Despite all the arguing going on, she got the feeling that the team was more like a family than an actual team.

"Don't get your red, white, and blue panties in a twist, Captain," Stark mocked.

"Ignore them," the man with slightly curly black hair who was shorter than the other two told her quietly from the other side of the jet. She remembered Fury introducing him as Dr. Banner, "They aren't always like this…well," he corrected himself, "most of the time at least.

He sighed lightly before smiling at her and holding his hand out to her to shake. "I'm Bruce."

"Liz," she replied with a smile of her own as she shook his hand.

"So how is it that you're an expert at magic when you look to be barely in your twenties?" he asked politely, his curiosity clear on his face.

A sheepish expression crossed her face and she rubbed the back of her head slightly. "As I told Captain Rogers, I'm not exactly an expert. Old Director One-Eye just finds it amusing to mock me. I'm technically only an apprentice currently, but-"

"So hold on a sec," Stark interrupted, pausing his mini argument with Captain Rogers. "Fury gave us a newbie – a defenseless civilian, as help? What the hell is Fury smoking?"

"Tony," Bruce said warningly with a tired sigh.

Liz's eyebrow twitched with irritation, her eyes narrowed at the playboy. "I'm hardly defenseless," she retorted, hating to be referred to as weak. Being weak was something she had sworn that she would never be again.

"Well I remain unconvinced until I see proof," he replied, arms crossed in fron of him like a stubborn child.

"Tony," Bruce said more sharply this time, able to see that Liz was getting angry. "Lay off."

"Why should I?" the man turned his eyes to Bruce. Suddenly he was slammed into the wall of the plane, a cocoon of greenish-colored light pinned him. "What the hell?"

Liz smirked slightly but a few small beads of sweat on her forehead from the strain. "That's why."

She let her hand fall, which resulted in the light green cocoon type thing to disappear. Her powers, much like her cousin's, depended on balance, which is why her magic often appeared as a calm light green, symbolizing nature and balance.

Stark looked at her with narrowed eyes as he picked himself back up. "That wasn't very nice." He sounded like a petulant child.

"Who said I was nice?" She looked amused.

The jet began to shake violently all of a sudden, causing the amusement to quickly die on her face. "What's going on?"

"I'm not sure," Romanoff shouted over the loud rushing noise that filled the jet.

"Oh really?" Stark retorted as his Iron Man suit attached itself to him. "Because I think it's quite obvious. The jet is falling."

Yeah, this was why Liz HATED planes.

* * *

_15 minutes earlier_

Callie finished writing a text to her neighbor. A note that she was going to be out of town on a business trip for a while and a request that her neighbor grab her mail and feed her fish. She sent off the message just as she joined Agent Barton in the cockpit. He looked up at her from the pilot's seat surprised, "What are you doing in here?"

"I'm your co-pilot," Callie replied as she took the seat next to him.

Agent Barton adopted a look of disgust. "I don't need a co-pilot."

"Looks like you've got one anyway," Callie said.

"I don't want a co-pilot," he replied coolly.

"Duly noted," she said but only continued to check systems. At the end she looked up at him and asked, "Are you ready, Agent Barton?"

He made a sound in his throat that might have been a growl of frustration, a sigh of exasperation, or a combination of the two. The jet lifted off. "Do you even have a pilot's license?"

"No. Fury just told me to try and fly the plane and hope for the best," Callie said with only a hint of sarcasm. Then seriously she replied, "Yeah, I got it my first year."

"You added flying lessons to your first year classes?" Agent Barton asked. He was obviously aware of the high-demand classes during the first year. Phil always told her that was to weed out the agents that weren't cut out for SHIELD.

Callie shrugged. "I'm a quick learner."

"Whatever," he snapped.

She let out a sigh. "Are you this rude to everyone or just me?"

"Everyone," he said. A smirk crept onto his face. "I'm worse to Stark though."

"The man has no patience, no tact, no sense of privacy, and he enjoys making everyone around him suicidal," Callie said.

Agent Barton arched an eyebrow. "You haven't even spent that much time with him."

"He doesn't make a good first impression," she replied. "Am I wrong?"

"No," he said quickly. "That's an apt description of Tony. He gets a little better the more you're around him. Well, that or I've just developed a bit of a tolerance. It helps that we're all outcasts."

Callie thought about Phil for a moment and smiled. "Phil would have loved to hear you talk about being part of the team like that."

"What?" He asked.

Callie frowned. "Agent Coulson, he would have been proud that you'd let yourself become part of the Avengers."

"You have no idea what Phil would have thought," he snapped at her.

"Phil recruited me and for as long as I can remember he never stopped talking about his star recruit, the great Agent Hawkeye," Callie said. "I think I know that he would have been proud of you."

"Phil was like any other agent," he replied.

"Whatever," Callie said with a scowl.

Agent Barton snorted. "Are you this rude to everyone or just me?"

A thump came from the back of the jet. They shared a look but neither of them got up to check the team.

Agent Barton sighed and said, "Look, just because-"

He was cut off by the sudden shaking of the jet. It was no longer moving forward, apparently putting all it's power into just staying in the air. Callie had lost any control of the ship. "What's going on?"

"Holy shit!" Agent Barton cursed. Callie's head shot up to look at whatever he was looking at. In front of the jet it appeared as if the sky itself had been ripped open to show the open space above. In the jet, lights were flickering, sirens were screaming, and the controls were still shaking.

"What's going on?" Callie repeated. And that's when the jet shut down. All at once the lights, the sounds, all of it just stopped and the aircraft was falling. "What do we do?"

"Start up the plane again!" he shouted. "You've got to run the start-up sequence so I can sit here to level out the jet when it comes back on."

"Why don't you start it up?" Callie asked.

He yelled over the rushing sound. "We only get one chance to run the start-up. With your memory we've got a better chance of remembering all the steps."

Agent Barton was right. If they missed one step the jet might not start. She nodded and closed her eyes. In a moment she could see the checklist in her mind and then she got to work. There were thirty-nine steps total. Callie flipped switches, pushed buttons, and rotated dials until thirty-eight steps were completed. Now all she had to do was hit what amounted to the ignition button. "I'm down the last step!"

"Hit it! Hit it! Hit it!" he yelled.

She slammed her palm into the button with more force than was probably necessary. There was a terrifying moment where nothing happened and then the lights flickered back on and the jet had power. Agent Barton pulled up hard on the controls to get the nose up. Callie could see the muscles bunch in his arms. She took her seat and joined him in trying to pull up the jet and then, they were level.

Callie reached for the "hover" button but Agent Barton's hand was already there so she only succeeded in slapping the top of his hand. She slumped into her seat, closed her eyes, and just breathed. She could feel her heart trying to jump right out of her chest. Next to her, Agent Barton was breathing heavy too. He started laughing. "You were right."

Callie looked at him, confused. "What?"

"I do need a co-pilot," he replied.

Callie smiled. She stood up. "I'm going to check on our passengers."

The team was scattered. Some, it seemed, had been tossed on the floor. Captain Rogers and Agent Romanoff were sitting up but Stark was still on his back on the floor looking a little like he was too scared to get up. Callie looked around but couldn't see the brunette. "Where's Miss Carter?"

"On the roof," Agent Romanoff replied dryly.

Of course.

* * *

**Chaos' Note: I love the way this chapter ends XD. I laugh every time. I hope you all liked this chapter. Stay tuned next week for the next chapter and don't forget to review…please? Pretty please? Come on, don't make me beg XD. I hate begging. I much prefer threats soooo…review or…*evil thinking* um…yeah *brain dead* Just review or the consequences will be dire ~*ghost voice* ****Yeah, be afraid. :3**

**xoxo – Chaos**

**Order's Note: Chaos loves the way this chapter ends and every time Chaos laughs I want to claw my ears out. Chaos has a very annoying laugh. I kind of like the end of this chapter too but I'm biased. I wrote it. Thanks for sticking with us and we'll be updating the next chapter next week (If Chaos can meet the deadline *glares upwards at Chaos' note*). Please review so I don't have to sic Chaos on you.**

**Extra note from Chaos: I AM INNOCENT! DX WHY DOES ORDER INSIST ON BLAMING ME FOR EVERYTHING? *pouts* I'm sure if she could, she'd blame more for world hunger and war too!**

**Extra note from Order: I do in fact blame you for hunger and war. You are chaos.**


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